


under the strobe lights we'll drink under stars

by honestlyfrance



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Getting Together, M/M, Meet-Cute, idk man ahh, we also have bartender/bouncer >:)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26714179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestlyfrance/pseuds/honestlyfrance
Summary: Singing for his band has become a chore, so Sam Wilson has decided something he’d like to do instead: like talking to this Bucky guy.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	under the strobe lights we'll drink under stars

It’s the strobe lights, Sam Wilson guesses, that makes him emotionally and physically attached with the roaring crowd, cheering as if there’s no tomorrow as the singer belts on the song he had only learned minutes prior. It was only to cater to his bandmates’ wishes; Sam didn’t seem to want this anymore as years after starting this band in college had finally dwindled down into a chore. It was supposed to be a hobby, a way to pay rent; not this.

Under the strobe lights, as he stood on the stage of the club, Sam’s blown eyes settled themselves on a man in the far back, and Sam could feel his breath falter as his shoulders relaxed, and it was in this moment that Sam felt lighter, as if on cloud nine. Have you only seen the way the man in the far back of the club had looked at Sam, you’d shed a tear at the softness of it.

All of these drunk crowds and blurry faces had dulled Sam, but the man who sat with his friends in some booth had a sense of naivety that allured Sam as if it was drained from the singer from so long ago that Sam began to crave that attention. The man’s eyes traveled on Sam, but not like the predatory looks he always receives, no, this one was gentle, as if a curious animal observing its own, as if an invitation to some study they were supposed to propose. It’s breathtaking, how those eyes could say so much that Sam had stopped singing altogether to observe at the man right back, and it was a few moments of silence until the crowd began to drunkenly continue the song, Sam’s bandmates, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, had hesitantly continued, unsure of what to do.

Sam seemed to know what to do despite the two.

The crowd hummed and yelled out words as Sam murmured the lyrics into the microphone, and it was at that moment that the man smiled shyly at Sam as if he was afraid he’d scare the singer away. How could you ever scare the singer, hmm? He likes it. Finally, someone who looks at Sam the way most wouldn’t think to do.

The bridge came, the lyrics dwindling down into instrumentals as Steve had spoken through his own microphone as he strummed on his electric guitar: “I want to thank my best friend, Bucky Barnes in the far back of the room, for finally coming up to one of our performances- Yup! There he is! The shiny burgundy leather jacket with fluffy hair- Ah, yes! Give him some love!” Steve applauded as the crowd followed along as the crowd chanted the name. Bucky. Bucky Bucky. Sam wanted to know this Bucky.

“Yeah, I see you, Bucky,” Sam winks from the stage as the man in questions shyly buried his face in his hands; Bucky smiled and sent a wink Sam’s way anyway, and it did things to him when Bucky had shyly tinkered with his empty glass. “Stay for the last song, I want to hear something from you.”

Bucky mouths a “ _Fuck you_ ” but bites his lip quite giddily, a smile creeping onto his face as he couldn’t contain himself when Sam finally gathered his free composure.

There are two things Sam would do that night: Quit the band. Have a drink or two with this guy.

There’s one thing Bucky would ponder on until the end of the show: _I should’ve watched them sooner._

* * *

His heart, Sam Wilson thinks, is where it’s always been; it's behind a sleek, polished bar counter surrounded by multiple alcoholic bottles as he poured one out for himself as the night dwindled down into the early break of dawn—Yes, this was the haven Sam wished for himself but couldn’t reach at the time. Now when it seemed possible, the life he had wanted for himself had been put into place, and in this, this lonely bar and resto on the boardwalk, it seemed too fantastical to seem real; everything was so good for Sam, it felt like another life to be here.

It's under the stars when Sam raised his glass and downed his drink in one swift movement as Bucky Barnes saunters towards his lover with quite a swagger; the man settled down on a bar stool, sighing as he set a hand under his chin, watching Sam smiled lazily as he, the bartender, had leaned on the counter as well, keeping a soft gaze on the bouncer, Bucky.

Bucky hummed as he closed his eyes, and Sam took the opportunity to plant a soft kiss on Bucky's lips, and to Sam's enjoyment, a grin grew onto his lover's face with a flush of red added to the blue lights above them. "I should've bought you a drink quite sooner," Bucky speaks, and Sam feels like he's set free on an empty stage all over again.

Sam tsked but grinned nonetheless, reaching from under the counter to pull out a bottle of vodka, setting it on the table with a loud thump that the two of them had laughed at. "We should celebrate with 100% proof vodka," he cheered, looking at the label. "Straight out of it. It'd be fun."

Bucky shakes his head at Sam, but grinning and throws a kiss his way. "To being fiances," he opened the bottle for Sam as he took a tentative sip. "Three years and endless nights like these."

Sam clutches the bottle as he sets his chin on the neck, his head sideways as Bucky did the same. "Three years, huh…" his eyes settled on the counter, a faraway look as he continued quite somberly, "Best decision I've ever had. Do you regret it?"

Bucky shakes his head as he takes one of Sam's hand and began tracing random shapes on them, absentmindedly hums as he says: "I don't ever regret things, Sammy, but this one?" He plants a quick kiss on the back of Sam's hand before caressing it to his face. "Out of all the things I've done, this is the only service I've ever done where I received as much as I gave, and that's the only thing I'll ever need."

Sam runs his thumb across Bucky's cheek, and there goes that same look Bucky gave him three years ago in that crowded room: it was all too sweet, gentle, and observant, and the exact look this astronomer looks upon the billions of stars in the sky as if he understood what burden the constellations had carried. Bucky understood what it meant to look at Sam as if the man had formed the milky way himself, and Sam understood what it meant to be loved with Bucky as that same shy random face in the crowd.

There were only a few moments between them that felt right to let themselves be vulnerable from drinks, and it was with each other, so filled with love and care for one another that they let their eyes speak for themselves; so sweet and so gentle, the glaring red of the sunrise could not touch this intimacy between Sam and Bucky, and if anything, this only grew tenderly.

It's under this star they drink their love, and they'd be too drunk over the sun and the sky that they wouldn't notice it: Their love, oh the service and selflessness within it, it could shatter glass at the slightest touch.

**Author's Note:**

> originally on tumblr in two parts, now mushed up. find me on [@honestlyfrance](https://honestlyfrance.tumblr.com)


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